Jimmy Butler’s points are down from where they were the past three seasons, but the Minnesota Timberwolves leader is not worried.
Butler was traded from Chicago to Minnesota in the offseason and has helped the upstart Timberwolves get out to a 7-3 start, which is tied with the Golden State Warriors. It’s because of the winning that Butler doesn’t mind his scoring average dropping from 23.9 points to 15.1 points per game this season.
“Like I said my whole career, as long as we’re winning I don’t give a damn what my stats are,” Butler says, via the Star Tribune’s Jerry Zgoda. “I think winning makes everybody happy.”
Tom Thibodeau, under whom Butler played for the first part of his career in Chicago, knows Butler prioritizes the wins over his own stats.
“And for Jimmy, winning is the most important thing. He doesn’t get wrapped up in stats,” Thibodeau said.
When Butler began his career in 2011-2012, the Bulls were one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, so he was used to winning. However, they slipped to a middling team the last two years under Fred Hoiberg, and Butler wanted out. Now he’s back to winning again, which seems like his highest priority.
